As an Arkansan I grew up learning about The Little Rock Nine, but only with the barest of facts during the month of February. I knew these students were brave. I knew they were chosen on their personal and academic merit.
However, until I read this book, I didn't know that integration didn't happen on the first day of the school year or the first day that the students tried to attend. I didn't know the literal life or death danger that the students were in. I knew the incident makes Faubus look like an incompetent fool in the eyes of history, but I had no idea that personal guards were assigned to students and then removed at the earliest "convenience". I knew that the students didn't want Melba and her cohorts in the school, but I didn't know that she was spit on and egged and kicked and burned for her attempts to simply go to class. I knew that Minnijean was expelled, but I didn't know why or that she was denied any attempt to join in clubs or to use her beautiful voice. I knew there were nine black students at Little Rock High School in 1957-1958, but I didn't know them as individual persons. Now I do. Now I see the cost that these warriors paid in blood, tears, and trauma. I only learned this year of the resulting Lost Year for Little Rock High Schools.
We have got to do better with educating our children and ourselves.
This is why I am so glad to be an African American History teacher this year and am dedicated to using only literature by black authors to teach this course. They don't need my voice to teach this class. They have their own voices that are so much more powerful than mine will ever be in this context. The least I can do is serve to facilitate the words of these warriors and icons to my students.